SGBP Final 4

 Stay fit – start gradually and do a little more everyday

 Be patient. Remember that you may have good days and bad days. Do not give up

with the first recurrence of back pain

 Take control over your pain and firmly believe that you will make it go away

Maintain an appropriate weight

Being overweight does make it harder to get relief from back pain. There are many ill
effects of being overweight and losing excess weight should be a goal for anyone who
suffers from back pain. Being overweight places greater stresses on the spinal column
and is clearly associated with a greater risk of having back pain. If you have
osteoarthritis of the spine and are overweight or obese, you will benefit from losing
excess weight. Weight loss can greatly reduce stress on weight-bearing joints and limit
further joint injury. Weight control during middle age years can also help prevent the
onset of osteoarthritis in later years. The best way to begin is with gentle aerobic
exercises such as walking, swimming or bicycling. Active exercise, which burns more
calories, also assists with weight loss.

A healthy diet and regular exercise are needed to help reduce weight. A dietitian can
help you develop a healthy eating program that will help you lose excess weight and
maintain the appropriate weight and mix of nutrients needed over the long term. A well-
balanced diet has all the nutritional requirements with reduced calories and is easier to
stick to in the long run. Crash diets, high protein diets, liquid diets, fasting one or more
days per week and thousands of other such similar diets that promise fast reduction in
weight are to be strictly avoided. Exercises combined with a well-balanced diet are the
best way to reduce weight and maintain a trim figure.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle

One of the most important things you can do is take care of yourself and adopt overall
healthy lifestyle habits. Examples of specific healthy lifestyle habits include:

 Getting proper amounts of rest